


You Belong Here

by orphan_account



Series: Love Me Dead (One-Shot Readers) [6]
Category: Fables: The Wolf Among Us (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Kidnapping, Murder, Possessive Behavior, Stalking, Stockholm Syndrome, containment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-07-31 16:02:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20117767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Mundies aren't supposed to get past the town barrier, but when they do, Bigby Wolf is the one sent to clean the mess up. However, when ______ crosses the barrier, Bigby can't bring himself to kick her out.





	You Belong Here

**Author's Note:**

> Post-Game where Bigby threw The Crooked Man down the Witching Well, ended with a poor relationship towards Snow and Fabletown and sent Colin to the Farm.

Ever since Snow took over, Fabletown had completely transformed, and Bigby was left to do all the boring work. He spent most days stuck in his office, Snow not trusting him enough to let him to field work. It felt like many citizens didn’t trust him after what happened, the only ones who did trust him barely wanted to see him.

Snow’s strict rules on having _everyone _be in a glamour got Colin, Bigby’s only friend and roommate, sent to the farm. After that, he spent most of his time alone when he wasn’t breaking up fights or sending poor citizens to the farm. Thanks to Snow, Fabletown was beginning to look like a Mundie city, and something about that was putting people off. A lot of people missed the Homeland, but Snow didn’t seem to care.

Bigby was in his apartment, smoking a cigarette and trying to calm down after today’s events. He had to break up three separate fights, and each one had a similar connection: money troubles. After The Crooked Man left, it became obvious which citizens were replying on his money. Sadly, Snow was turning most of them away. _So much has changed, but at the same time, everything’s the same, _Bigby thought, flicking his cigarette across the room.

That’s when there was a knock on the door.

Bigby didn’t move from his chair, but he also didn’t ignore it. No one every came to his tiny apartment, so why start now? “Who’s there?” Bigby called out

“It’s me,” he heard Snow’s voice. “We have a situation.”

Bigby got up, going to his door and opening it up. Snow was the last person he expected to be here right now. “You could’ve called,” he told her. “What’s going on?”

“You wouldn’t have answered,” Snow stated. “We need to discuss this in private. May I come in?”

Bigby didn’t say anything, just moved aside and let her in. She walked in slowly, used to the mess in his place, and Bigby returned to his chair, sitting down and getting comfortable. “I’ll ask one more time, what’s going on? Why are you being so secretive about it?”

Snow sighed; _this _was the reason she held off on going to Bigby. She hated his attitude, but he was one of the best detectives she knew, and she needed that right now. “A Mundie managed to get past our barrier, and I don’t know why,” she started. “But she’s been spotted trying to get a drink at Holly’s bar, and no one recognizes her. No one knows what to do, but a few people called, and people are worried. They don’t want _any_ Mundie in town.”

Bigby sat further back. “There isn’t any laws that would give me enough reason to kick her out,” he told her. “Just because people don’t like it, I can’t kick her out of Fabletown. We’re trying to keep a low profile.”

“I know that. Can you just go and keep an eye on her, see if she leaves town tonight and make sure she doesn’t get too close to anyone or anything that’ll give us away? Under _no _circumstances should she see magic.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry about her seeing any talking animals. You took care of that by kicking them all out of their homes, didn’t you?”

Snow went silent. “Just do your damn job, Bigby,” she told him. “Make sure she doesn’t see anything she shouldn’t.”

Bigby stood up, annoyed with Snow and the situation. This isn’t exactly how he pictured his night going. “Do you have nay idea where she is?”

“As far as I know, she’s still at Trip Trap. Please, just deal with this quietly, Bigby. I don’t want anyone to start worrying, people are still on edge after everything that happened last month.”

“If anything goes wrong, can’t you just use the same spell as Crane used on the Mundie detectives?”

“That spell is expensive, and we’re already scraping by,” Snow was getting annoyed, heading to the door. “Don’t make me use unnecessary magic. If you do this right, then we won’t have to spend a cent.”

With that, Snow was out the door, leaving Bigby alone. He sighed, grabbed a few things and headed out the door. Whoever this Mundie was, she was drawing enough attention to herself to make people call the business office, so he didn’t think she’d be too hard to find.

-

“Please, I can take any available room, and I can pay you a three nights advance in cash,” ______ pleaded with the woman at the desk. “I don’t care how shitty the room is.”

Beauty was working the front desk at the Open Arms that night, and she had _no _idea what to do in this situation. She didn’t really have a good reason to turn this woman down, but the way she was acting put her off. It was obvious she was a Mundie, and that on top of how desperate she looked was putting Beauty on edge. So, Beauty had been hoping to drive her away by telling her that the only room available that night was tiny and hadn’t been cleaned, but even that didn’t make her give up. “Okay,” Beauty finally gave in, grabbing a key. She didn’t have any other options left. “The room is 117, it’s down the hall. It’s going to be $200 for three nights.”

______ sighed, handing over the cash. Right as Beauty was going to give her the key, they heard a bell ring and the door open, and both Beauty and ______ turned around to see who came in. Beauty knew nothing good was about to happen when she saw Bigby standing at the door, dropping a cigarette and putting it out with his foot. “Is something wrong, Sheriff?” Beauty asked when she saw him, and _____ became worried. Everywhere she went tonight, people were giving her dirty looks and acting strange around her. She wouldn’t be surprised if one of them called the sheriff on her.

Bigby had followed the trail from the Trip Trap to here after Holly mentioned the Mundie was looking for a place to stay. She didn’t hear her say it directly but saw all the bags that she had on her, and it reminded her of someone who looked like they were running away. From what? Bigby didn’t know, but he wanted to find out. Walking into the Open Arms, he was taken aback by how beautiful she was, and he could understand why she was attracting attention. It wasn’t really her fault: she just stood out from every other woman in town, and in this case, it was putting some people on edge. “Nothing wrong, just making my usual rounds,” he lied, and Beauty started to catch the drift of why he was here. “This part of town can get dangerous at night, so I’m making sure to double-check on everyone.”

“Everything’s okay here,” Beauty told him. “Just letting someone rent a room.” That’s when Beauty remembered something, grabbing a small book and a pen. “That reminds me, I didn’t get your name. I need it to fill out my books and mark that you’ll be there for the next three nights,” she looked at Bigby, trying to give him as much information as she knew without being suspicious. “What’s your name?”

“______ ______,” she told Beauty, then looked back at Bigby. This entire town was already putting her off, and after what he said, she was a little more on edge than she already was. “What do you mean that it can get dangerous at night?”

Bigby wasn’t prepared to answer that question, so he had to improvise on the spot. “We had a string of crimes around this area not too long ago, so I’ve been making sure to keep tabs. You can never be too sure.”

______ just went silent then looked over at Beauty. “Can I have my key?” she asked, anxious to get to her room.

Bigby could tell that something he said had struck a nerve in her. “Is something wrong?” he asked, going closer to her. “I can take you to your room if you’re feeling unsafe.”

“It’s nothing,” she told him. “I’ve just never stayed by myself in a hotel, so I’m a little on edge. I’ll be fine.”

“I insist on walking you to your room,” Bigby went behind her as Beauty handed her the key. “I can show you where it is.”

“Room 117,” she told him. “Shouldn’t be too hard to find,” she insisted, but she could see a determined look on his face. She wasn’t going to be shaking him off anytime soon. “I don’t even know your name. Who are you?”

“Name’s Bigby,” he told her, his arms remaining crossed. “Folks around here sometimes just call me Sheriff Wolf.”

“Well… thank you, Sheriff,” she told him. She concluded she shouldn’t push him off too much, after all, his intentions didn’t appear to be horrible. He was the Sheriff of this town, and he just happened to be worried it was a sweet offer.

As they started walking to the room, Bigby began to try to make his questions sound like casual conversation. “So, what brings you here?” he asked.

“I needed a place to stay for a few days. I’m hoping to find some work here, or at least somewhere close to here.”

“In town?”

“Where else?” she asked, giving him a strange look. Why did it seem like everyone here was wary of her, wanting her to leave?

“I guess that’s a fair point,” Bigby admitted. “What I meant to ask, originally, is what brought you to town?”

She stopped walking, and Bigby stopped with her. _Maybe if I tell the truth, he’ll understand. Maybe everyone will stop being so wary of me and so sketched out by me if I just tell the truth, _she thought. It was an idea worth a try. “Running away, really,” she told him. “Things weren’t working out back home. I’m hoping to find a new start. Do you know how that feels, Sheriff?”

Bigby nodded. Searching for a new start was the entire reason that Fabletown existed, it’s what every resident was hoping to do. Fables ran away to find a new life, to restart, hoping to find somewhere they could call home. They were supposed to endorse that kind of thing, not kick people in need away. He didn’t give a shit about Snow’s policies.

He wanted to do what _he _thought was right.

“I understand that,” he started, finally reaching a hand out. “Everyone’s story is different. Also, you can just call me Bigby.”

She shook his hand and they finished walking over to her room. She turned around after unlocking the door and smiled at him. “Thank you, Bigby. Tonight’s been…. really strange.”

“If you need any help for anything at all, you can let me know. My office isn’t too far from here,” he told her. “Goodnight.”

She closed the door, and Bigby stood in the hall for a moment. There was something about her that was interesting, and it was more than the fact that she was a Mundie, and more than the fact that Bigby thought she was stunning. There was something that drew him to her, and he wanted to know more about her.

He _needed _to know more about her.

As he began to walk out, Bigby heard someone call out to him. “Wait, Bigby!” Beauty called out, and he stopped to turn around. “What’re you going to do about her? Surely, she can’t stay in Fabletown, right?”

“Why not?” Bigby asked, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a cigarette. “It’s not exactly a crime to stay in town.”

“You know what I mean, Bigby. She’s a Mundie, and Snow is even more paranoid than Crane was about exposure, that’s clear just by the way she sends any animal she can up to the farm.”

“She doesn’t have anywhere else to go, Beauty. Surely you know how that is.”

Beauty went silent, just crossing her arms uncomfortably. “Well, I’m just warning you now, Snow isn’t going to like it.”

“I couldn’t care less,” Bigby turned around. Before he left, he said one more thing. “I’ll keep an eye on her, she won’t think anything strange. I’ll make sure of it.”

“You can never be sure,” Beauty warned. “Be careful, Bigby. Snow’s already looking for any reason she can to fire you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he grumbled, walking out the door and starting to head home. He didn’t think Snow would ever _really _fire him, after all, there wasn’t anyone else who would take Bigby’s job. It wasn’t worth it. Shit pay, always getting into fights, and you had to have work ethic. That alone got rid of most of the people in town. The only reason Bigby wanted to keep his job was that there was nothing else for him to do. He was meant for this kind of job. He was irreplaceable.

He got home and laid in bed for the first time in a while. He never usually got a quiet night in, something always kept him up, even if it wasn’t work. He closed his eyes, letting his thoughts wander. The past few weeks, ever since what happened with The Crooked Man, it seemed like he was getting less important cases. Snow didn’t really trust him, preferring to do big investigations on her own. The only reason she chose him to deal with the Mundie was that she didn’t want to bother herself with it. That much was obvious.

However, at least a lighter caseload meant he’d be able to keep tabs on ______ easier. He told himself it was just for the sake of the town and making sure that she didn’t see anything she shouldn’t, but a part of him deep inside knew it was more than that. _At least this may prove to be interesting, _he thought right as he began to drift to sleep.

-

Bigby had woken up earlier that morning than he usually ever cared to. He took a car from the station and parked outside of the Open Arms. Luckily the cars in Fabletown weren’t obvious-looking police cars, and when ______ left to start off her day, Bigby was keeping eyes on her.

He had seen Snow that morning and told her about the situation, and she called for the removal. She didn’t care the charges, and technically, that’s what Bigby was supposed to do today. He didn’t care much about what Snow wanted him to do: if ______ wanted to stay in Fabletown, she should be allowed to. Her story wasn’t that different from anyone else’s, so why should it matter? Bigby found himself, for the first time in a while, caring more about her than anything else. He couldn’t fully explain or understand it; all he knew was that he felt protective over her. There was something about her that wasn’t leaving Bigby’s mind.

He watched her as she started walking down the street, and Bigby carefully left the car, hoping to stay stealthy as he followed her. No one had asked him to track her every movement, he took that upon himself. _I’m not stalking her, _he assured himself. _I’m merely doing my job._

To tell the truth, he was doing anything _but _his job.

He watched her as she clutched onto a piece of paper and walked into the Trip Trap. Bigby sighed, waiting to go inside. After everything that happened, he and Holly weren’t really on great terms. She was still upset about what happened at her sister’s funeral, she felt as if no one cared about Lily, and that she never got any justice. No matter what Bigby tried, Holly refused to believe that Bigby really did care about getting justice for her sister. Now she just went off every time she saw him, which is exactly why he was debating going inside. After a few minutes, he decided to take a chance.

As soon as he walked in, he felt like he was making a mistake. Holly didn’t notice him at first, luckily, but the only reason she didn’t was because she was too busy being annoyed with someone else: ______.

“Please, I know how to bartend. I worked as a bartender for two years at Coyote Ugly. I can serve drinks; I’m just looking for work.”

“We’re not looking to employ, now fuck off,” Holly told her. _As lovely and professional as ever, I can see, _Bigby thought.

“You have a sign right outside that says you’re hiring!” ______ declared, getting fed up with the fact that almost everyone in this town was trying to avoid her. She kept talking, not really _to _Holly, but still hung around her. “Why does everyone in this town already have their minds made up about talking to me? Did I do something wrong?”

Holly rolled her eyes and turned away, and that’s when she saw Bigby. “What the fuck are _you _doing her, Wolf?”

“Nice to see you too, Holly,” he greeted. He didn’t really have a good excuse set up for why he was there and decided to bullshit. “I just wanted to come in for a drink.”

“I already told you to fuck right off and not come back here. I don’t care who you are in this town, I don’t want you in my bar,” Holly turned to the Mundie who had been bothering her. “You too. We’re not hiring, so you can fuck right off along with him.”

______ stood there, dumbfounded. She didn’t know how to react, but she felt a hand touch her shoulder and turned to see the sheriff she talked to last night. He tried giving her a reassuring smile. “Come on, ______. Let’s get out of here.”

______ just sighed and headed out, and Bigby followed. As soon as they got outside, ______ let out a frustrated yell. “Why does everyone in this town look at me like I’m some alien? They all refuse to look at me, let alone hire me!”

“They just don’t trust anyone easily, trust me, I know,” Bigby leaned against the wall outside. “I may be the Sheriff, but I’m also usually the bearer of bad news. More than a few people in the town don’t like me either.”

_______ turned to look at him. “What did you do?”

“It’s a long story.”

There was a beat of silence before either of them spoke again. “Did you really mean it when you told me last night that you would help me?” Bigby nodded and she continued. “I’d like to know more, about whatever happened to make everyone here wary. Not just of outsiders, but of you. Maybe this town isn’t the best fit for me after all, but I need help figuring out all my options.”

Bigby couldn’t help a smile going onto his face, and a plan hatched in his head. After everything that happened, he heard that Narissa turned the Pudding and Pie into a restaurant with the money that was left behind once Georgie died. “We can meet tonight, if you want to. I have to get back to work, but there’s this restaurant not too far away from where you’re staying called The Pudding and Pie. Meet me there tonight, about 7, and I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”

______ was shocked. She knew it wasn’t supposed to be a date, but it really did sound like one. She hadn’t been on a date for a long time, and if she was being honest, she didn’t think the idea of going on one with Bigby would be too horrible. He was good looking, he had been kind to her, and he was the only one in the entire town who seemed to be willing to talk to her. She nodded in agreement. “I wouldn’t mind that.”

Bigby smiled back at her. “Perfect,” he told her. “I’ll see you tonight.”

He turned and began to walk off. He didn’t _really _have to get back to work, and he wanted to still keep tabs on her, but he was sure she was just going to continue her job hunt. That may be easier to do if she didn’t have him around. Besides, he wanted to head home and get cleaned up. He wanted to be able to impress her.

If he was lucky, maybe by the end of tonight, their relationship could turn into something more. The voice in the back of his head was screaming at him to make it happen, so he was going to try. No matter what, he wanted her to stay in this town. He was hoping he would be able to convince her over drinks.

-

______ was hoping she had the right place, walking into a strange-looking restaurant. The mood lighting was a shade of pink, and the walls were purple. She had never seen a place like it. There was a stage in the middle of the room, a piano in the center than no one was playing. It looked more like a decoration than anyone else. Soon, a tall man with blond hair approached her. “May I help you, miss?”

“Oh, I’m looking for a Mr. Bigby Wolf?” she asked, and the man’s face dropped at the mention of the name.

He knew Bigby was here tonight, but he wasn’t expecting a woman as beautiful as ______ to come to meet him. “Right this way,” she blond man told her, leading her to a corner of the room further away from the stage. There she saw Bigby, sitting alone in the corner of the room at a booth. She thanked the man and walked towards him.

Bigby couldn’t help a smile crawling onto his face when she came into the room. “I’m glad you decided to come,” he told her as she took her seat across from him.

“Well, you did promise me answers,” she pointed out. “So, tell me, what is the deal with everyone in this town?”

Bigby took a deep breath and started to tell her everything he knew, to an extent. He admitted that the last mayor was corrupt, and that his corruption sank deep into the community. He hurt a lot of citizens and got involved with a dangerous organization, even embezzling from the town’s funds. Even though they caught him, and even the leader of the dangerous community, people are still wary to trust officials, and are especially wary of newcomers. Not only that: people just hadn’t liked Bigby from the very start. Now more than ever, suspicion and Fabletown went hand in hand.

By the time that Bigby finished the story and finished explaining everything, their food had arrived, and they were each eating. ______ paused and took a sip of her drink, her attention hadn’t left Bigby the entire time he was talking. “So, if I’m right then, it’s going to be a long time before anyone in this town trusts an outsider, right?” she sighed, shaking her head. “I’m sorry to hear, Bigby. About how people in this town don’t trust you, I can’t see why. You’ve been nothing but nice to me.”

“It’s not too hard to be nice to you, ______,” Bigby admitted. “You’re a good person, and a good listener. Thank you for hearing me out.”

______ stayed silent, taking another swig of her drink. “After hearing all of that… I think I’ve made up my mind.”

Bigby tilted his head. “What decision is that?”

“I’d really love to stay here, but I really need to find work. The money I brought with me won’t last forever. I think I’ll take my deposit back at the Open Arms for tomorrow night and spend this as my last night in town.”

Bigby felt his heart drop. This was the exact thing he hoped to avoid. “______, I think you should give this town one last chance. If you want to try to start a life here, you have every right to.”

“I can’t afford to stay here. Like you said, the citizens of this town are short on money already. If I stay here, I will be too. I’m sorry, Bigby. I spent all day looking for work and couldn’t find a single person willing to hire me.”

Bigby was searching his brain for every possible argument. He couldn’t explain why, but there was a part of him that _needed _her to stay here. She was the one person who looked at him like he was worthy of knowing, who went out with him, who talked to him, who thought he was worthy of getting to know. It had been such a long time since someone took the time to talk to Bigby, not because they wanted something from him, but because they wanted to _know _him. Now he wanted to know everything about her. He didn’t want her to leave, he needed her to stay. He couldn’t let the one person who he cared about in a long time disappear from his life.

Sitting there, he made a decision. He couldn’t let her leave. He could help her, no matter how much it cost, he was going to. If she wouldn’t accept his help… well, there were always ways to keep her here.

Bigby started to smile. “I understand your concern about money, but what if you stayed with me?” Bigby put out a final offer. “______, I’m going to be honest with you, I think you’re something special. If you stay with me, I can help you find work. I know people in high places.”

She just shook her head. “You’re very kind, but I couldn’t do that. I don’t want to burden you, and besides… to be honest, I barely know you. I’m not sure if I should stay with someone I just met.”

Bigby’s heart sank again when she rejected his offer. Then something snapped in his head, and he knew that no matter what, he had to make her stay. A plan started to hatch in her head. “If you won’t stay, would you mind spending your last night in town with me?” he asked. “We don’t have to go back to my place, we can go back to The Open Arms if you want, or we can go to the Trip Trap. If you’re going to spend your last night here, can I help you make it a good one.”

Bigby was worried that she would reject him, but instead, she smiled at him. “Sure, that doesn’t sound too bad,” she admitted. “We can go back to yours, I’m not sure I want to head back to The Open Arms just yet.”

Bigby smiled, his plan coming together in his head. “I think I left my house key at my office, so we’ll have to make a quick stop there. Is that alright?”

“Not a problem,” she smiled. “We can head over right as we’re done here.”

As they continued to eat, Bigby went over his plan mentally to make sure it was structurally sound: _Back at the office, we have a box of evidence. The Open Arms doesn’t sell out Room 207 after what happened, and they can’t afford to change the locks, so Crane’s key is still the only one that works to get in and out. If I take that, then I’m the only one who can get in and out of that room. We have handcuffs back at the office too, I can take a few pairs of those. Next, I just need something to put her to sleep for a bit… then I just take her back to Room 207. She cannot leave me._

-

After stopping by his office, the two of them headed back to Bigby’s apartment. Once they got inside, ______ couldn’t help thinking that it was likely the smallest apartment she had ever seen. There was barely room for a bed, a couch and the kitchen. “This is probably just barely as big as my hotel room…” she thought aloud as she walked in.

Bigby followed her inside, closing the door behind him and locking it. “I have the smallest apartment in the area,” he told her. “I’m not home very much, so I guess I never really bothered making it super nice. Sorry about that.”

“It’s fine,” she took a seat on what looked like the most comfortable seat in the room.

“Can I get you a drink?” Bigby asked, heading towards the kitchen and out of her sight.

She usually knew better than to accept a drink from a man she didn’t know well or accept a drink from someone if she couldn’t see them make it. However, in this one moment, she let her guard down. Bigby seemed nice, she thought maybe he was better and above all of that. She accepted, “Sure, what kind of drinks do you have?”

“Coffee, but I think it’s too late for that,” Bigby called out from the kitchen, grabbing them both glasses. “Would you like scotch or water?”

“There’s a pretty big leap between the two,” ______ pointed out jokingly. “I think I’ll take scotch though.”

Bigby looked around to make sure he was truly out of her sight before putting a few drops of another liquid into her cup. It was something he found in Bluebeard’s office, he wasn’t sure what it was, but he’s seen what it could do. It was enough to knock anyone out for a few hours. Luckily, the liquid was clear, and you couldn’t even tell the difference. He grabbed her cup in his left hand, his own cup in his right. Satisfied with how this turned out, he went back into the room with her and offered her the glass. “For you,” he told her, handing off the glass.

“Thank you,” she told him, and without a second thought, drank from it. Bigby smiled, now it was only a matter of time.

They started talking for about five minutes before Bigby could see the effect it was having on her. She started getting tired, yawning, and she started to sway. Mid-conversation, she stopped herself. “Bigby, there’s something wrong. I’m not feeling well all of a sudden, I feel nauseous.”

He feigned ignorance. “What do you mean?” he asked, standing up. “Do you want to go back to your room?”

She nodded. “I… I think I should head back… I can’t seem to…” she trailed off and dropped the glass she was holding in her hand, shattering it on the floor before falling over. Bigby caught her right before she hit the ground, then smiled to himself. _Perfect execution._

He picked her up, and she felt a little heavier than usual, but he was still able to carry her with ease. He peeked his head out of the door to make sure no one was around and made his way to The Open Arms.

-

When ______ woke up, it was already hard to move, never mind open her eyes. However, she knew right away that there was something wrong. She could feel something cold and metal attached to each of her wrists and ankles, and she had a pounding headache. She was awake for about five minutes before she felt like she could even open her eyes.

Once she did, her heart dropped.

Her wrists and ankles were handcuffed to the bedframe of the small twin bed in a position that was by no means comfortable. Even if she could move, there was no way she was getting off this bed. The room was dark, but she could make out a figure sitting at the end of the bed, his back turned to her. “Bigby… is that you?”

He turned around and gave her a toothy smile that sent chills down her spine. “______, you’re awake. I knew that stuff would put you out, but it’s been hours. It’s probably around midnight or one at this point.”

______ looked around the room. “Where am I? What’s going on?”

Bigby stood up and sat closer to her, and she couldn’t move away. “I figured you’d ask something like that,” Bigby sighed and put a hand on her face, stroking her cheek with his thumb. “Allow me to explain. Everything I told you earlier tonight about the town is true, but I left out a big detail: everyone in this town, well, we’re not from around here. Not even from in this realm, we come from the realm of ‘fables.’ Everyone here thinks we come from fairytales and stories, but those stories are just our life. We ran away from our old lives and came here, starting a new one. They’re wary of anyone who isn’t from our old home.”

Bigby took out a cigarette and began to smoke before continuing. “Well, back then, I used to be known as the ‘Big Bad Wolf.’ Terrorizing pigs and chasing children, everyone hated me. They also feared me. I came here to start over, but I guess no one really wanted to forget. No one here treats me any differently than they would’ve if we stayed back home, but then… then there was you. You didn’t treat me like garbage, you weren’t scared of me. You respected me, you wanted to know me. I’ve never had anyone do that before, and when you said you were leaving…”

When he trailed off, ______ took it as a chance to speak up. “You’re insane, Bigby. This… story you’ve made up in your head is insane. You’re not a wolf, you’re a man, and you need to let me go. Please, this isn’t healthy, this isn’t good.”

“Good is a four-letter word,” Bigby threw his cigarette down and put it out with his foot. “Maybe I should just embrace who I am, and I’ve never felt more alive than when I’m around you. There’s something special about you, ______, and now that I know that you’re not allowed to leave. I promise, after a while, it won’t be so bad. I’ll take off some of the cuffs, I’ll even take you out somewhere if you want me to. But you cannot leave me.”

Bigby leaned down and kissed ______ on the cheek, and in that moment, she wanted to cry. She wanted out, but she didn’t know how. Bigby stood up. “Where are you going?” she asked, fear in her voice.

“I have to get home, change and sleep before I go to work. Don’t you worry, ______, everything is going to be alright. I’ll come back tomorrow morning to make sure you eat and get to use the bathroom, you’ll see me again before you know it.”

He turned and left, and when he closed the door, he could hear ______ start to cry. He wanted to turn right around and go back in, hold her and tell her it was going to be okay, but he knew he had to go. He heard stories of how Beast and Beauty got together, and he thought maybe if he did something similar, ______ would fall in love with him like Beauty fell in love with Beast.

While he was walking out, the one other person who was on his mind called out to him. “Bigby!” he heard Beauty’s voice. “What’re you doing here again?”

Bigby thought quickly. “I was checking in on the Mundie, making sure she was getting ready to leave. Her last night is tomorrow, right?”

“That’s the last night she paid for…” Beauty trailed off, her observations catching up. “You weren’t seeing her; her room is on the first floor and you came down the stairs from the second floor. What’s going on?”

_Shit, _Bigby thought. “Official business, it’s best not to interfere. I’m heading home, you should too.”

“My shift just started,” Beauty told him. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Bigby just grumbled and rolled his eyes before leaving, and the thought wasn’t leaving her head that she needed to investigate. She grabbed the master key, the book of guests, and headed upstairs.

Most of the second floor was permanently rented out by residents who used The Open Arms to continue to hire escorts. Even when the Pudding and Pie shut down for the first time, escorting was alive and well. Beauty went into the rooms and quietly checked each one, finding nothing odd until she got to Room 207.

Beauty remembered the room all too well, and she knew her key wasn’t going to work on it. _There shouldn’t be anyone in there, _she thought. _Then again, it won’t hurt to check._

Beauty looked around before taking pins out of her hair, working on picking the lock. Little did she know that Bigby forgot his house keys in the room, and he was coming back. By the time she got the door open, he was heading up the stairs.

______ let out a gasp of relief when she saw someone come through the door who wasn’t Bigby. If her memory was correct, it was the lady who worked the desk downstairs. “Thank god you’re here,” she managed to get out. “Please, you have to call someone, you have to get someone, you have to get help-”

Beauty was too shocked to say anything for a moment, and then fear hit her when ______’s voice was cut off by a much deeper one. “Who would she call? The police? I’m already here.”

Beauty turned around. “Sheriff, I-”­

Bigby cut her off by shoving her onto the ground, and ______ could see his eyes start to turn yellow. She wanted to curl up into a ball and hide, but she still couldn’t really move. “Y’know, Beauty, you’re just too damn nosy,” Bigby went closer to Beauty.

Beauty backed up. “Bigby, whatever you’re doing here, it doesn’t have to be like this.”

“You should know,” Bigby growled pinning Beauty to the ground by placing a foot on her chest and pressing her down. “Isn’t this how you and Beast fell in love? With you as his prisoner?”

Beauty struggled to breathe. “I’m… going to call… Beast…”

“Like hell you are,” ______ watched as Bigby’s face turned more wolf-like and his eyes were glowing brighter. He had long, sharp nails now and went for Beauty’s throat. ______ couldn’t help but scream, cry and look away. The noises alone, the blood the crying and the screaming, they made her wish she was deaf. It felt like forever until the only sound she could hear was Bigby’s breathing and her own screaming. Her eyes remained closed, but she could feel Bigby come sit next to her and put his hand on her shoulder. “Hey, hey, ______ it’s okay. This needed to happen, if Beauty got out-”

“You’re a killer!” she cut him off, yelling in his face. “A heartless, cold-blooded killer!”

Bigby shook his head and sighed. “You need time to process all of this,” he stood up and headed to the door. He paused before leaving. “I forgive you, by the way. For calling me heartless. What I’m doing for you is because I love you, ______. I truly do. You may not understand now, but one day, you will. You belong here. You belong with me.”

Bigby left the room, leaving ______ in the room alone with Beauty’s mangled corpse. ______ could only bring herself to look at it once, and when she did, she wished now more than ever that she never had left home in the first place.­

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This work is part of my Love Me Dead one-shot series, currently taking requests! For more information, please comment below.


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